Thursday, April 06, 2006

Joining a Genealogical Society-How to Find Relatives & Make Friends

Well, this weekend, I am off on a short road trip to the Washington State Genealogical Society Conference in Olympia, Washington, U. S. A.

Joining a local genealogical society & attending conferences & workshops as often as possible are two of my first recommendations to any budding genealogist.

You will find friends in any genealogical group, (maybe even cousins!) and you will always learn something---usually from people with experiences in the records you need or in researching the places your ancestors came from, but sometimes you will learn new skills & techniques, or take a fresh look at old ideas--- the importance of patience, curiosity and dogged determination, for example---from people whose expertise seems unrelated to your own family research.

Check on the World Wide Web to see what genealogical or family history societies are in your area. If there's not one, perhaps your local historical or heritage society has a genealogical committee. If not, look at starting your own group. Genealogical frustrations shared are frustrations halved, and those wonderful feelings accompanying a genealogical 'ah ha!' are more than doubled when shared.

If you're in Canada, check out these websites to look for a genealogical group near you: